Category Archives: Rice

I usually prepare Capsicum rice with onion , ginger garlic paste, whole garam masala etc. When my mom visited us she prepared Capsicum rice with curry powder, and I loved it. I frequently use green bell peppers for preparing this but one day was out of it, and tried with mini peppers. This colorful rice will be a kids favorite lunch box menu.

Capsicum Rice

Preparation Time : 10 mins | Cooking Time : 30 mins | Serves : 3

Category: Entree

Ingredients :

Cooked Rice – 2 cup (I used regular rice but bastmati rice can also be used)

For a lazy cook like me variety rice items are favorites, as I need not spend much time in kitchen, and it tastes delicious with a gravy/ raita. When we get a take out order in Indian restaurant, if we order gravy, they give a box of complimentary rice. Caramelized onion in that rice gives mild sweetness to the dish and should I say that is the reason I liked it:-) I tried a mint and ghee rice inspired by that rice. Should I call this rice as “Ghee Rice” or “MintMint Rice”, I am confused. Let me call it Ghee/Pudina Rice:-)

Add oil to the pan. When the oil is hot, add onions and saute till the onions turn translucent. Add a pinch of salt and sugar; cook till the onions are caramelized (Sugar is optional, with little more oil this can still be achieved, but I like little sugar in all dish to neutralize flavour and yes I can hear your question, its not sweet). Keep aside

Add ghee to the same pan. When the ghee is hot, add whole spices and cook for 30 seconds. Add cashew, and when they turn golden brown, add ginger garlic paste and green chilli. Cook till the raw smell goes

Add mint and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the rice and cook for a minute

Add required salt and transfer the mixture to rice cooker and add 1:2 water and cook. Add the caramelized onions and mix well. Serve Mint Rice with gravy/raita

My Notes:

Instead of using caramelized onion can sauté onions and use them or use fried onion

Variety rice are easy to make and a perfect lunch box food. Usually I prepare tomato rice with just tomato and onion. After cooking coconut rice with coconut milk, I want to try coconut milk with tomato rice and prepared tomato biryani.

Tomato Biryani

Basmati Rice – 1 cup

Tomatoes – 3, finely chopped

Onion – 1 large sliced thinly

Spring onion – 3

Peas – 1/4 cup

Coconut Milk – 1/2 cup

Water – 1 cup + 1/2 cup

Red Chilli powder – 3/4 tsp (Adjust according to your taste)

Turmeric Powder – 1/8 tsp

Ginger Garlic Paste – 1 tsp

Coriander Powder – 1/2 tsp

Cumin Powder – 1/4 tsp

Garam Masala – 1/2 tsp

Green Chilli – 1, slitted

Salt – as needed

Sugar – 1/8 tsp (optional)

Oil – 1/2 tbsp

Cinnamon – 2 inch stick

Cardamom – 2

Fennel Seed powder – 1/4 tsp

Bay leaves – 1

Star Ansie – 1

Method:

Soak rice in warm water for 30 minutes, drain the water and keep it aside

Add oil to the pan. When the oil is hot, add whole spices and cook for 30 seconds. Add the onion and ginger garlic paste and sauté till the raw smell goes off

Add the chopped tomatoes and cook till the tomatoes get mushy. Add all the spice powders, salt and sugar; saute for 2 minutes

Add peas and rice and saute for a minute. In a rice cooker add the rice – tomato mixture, coconut milk and water. After the rice is cooked sprinkle chopped spring onions on top and Serve it with raita/gravy

When I open my lunch box and I see coconut rice, its a happy face.. Easy and delicious variety rice. Though i love the usual version without coconut milk, after trying this version started doing this often. I had 1/4 cup coconut milk in fridge (Leftover after preparing Vegetable Stew) and was thinking what to do with it. Suddenly remembered Thai rice prepared with coconut milk, so added coconut milk while cooking rice and resulting coconut rice was much flavorful and tastier

Cooking rice with coconutmilk

Ingredients:

Rice : 1/2 cup

Thin Coconut milk : 1/4 cup

Water : 3/4 cup

Ghee/ Coconut oil – one drop

Add drop of ghee/ oil and Cook rice in pressure cooker for 2 whistle or rice cooker and spread them in a wide pan

Coconut Rice:

Ingredients

Cooked Rice – 1 cup

Coconut – 1/3 cup

Salt – as needed

To temper:

Coconut Oil – 1 tsp

Peanuts – 5 tbsp

Cashews – 7 roughly broken

Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp

Urad dal – 1 tsp

Channa dal – 1 tsp

Asofetida/ Hing(Perungayam) – pinch

Green chillies – 1 slitted (Adjust according to your taste)

Curry leaves – few

Method:

Add 1 tsp of oil and when the oil is hot add the mustard seeds, urad dal, channa dal, cashew nuts, curry leaves asofetida and peanuts and cook till they become golden brown. Add coconut and sauté for a minute

Add the tempered ingredients to the pan containing rice, salt and mix gently. Check for the seasoning and add salt if required. Serve the rice with chips/ gravy

My Notes:

Coconut milk is optional you can cook rice without that in that case add 1:2 water

With mixed vegetables, I had already posted Vegetable Biryani Recipe. Ever since our school days, this is my Amma’s style of doing fried rice. My mother prepares this directly in pressure cooker, but I used rice cooker. My sister’s friend asked me for this recipe, so I thought of posting it.

Pulikaichal is a classic traditional recipe. When mixed with rice, tangy variety rice is ready (Puliyodarai). It also goes well with dosa/ Idli tiffin variety, and acts as a yummy pickle to curd rice. It is a great travel recipe too, also a festive recipe prepared during kannum pongal and aadi perukku. It stays good even for a month (when refrigerated) or upto a week (outside), if stored in an air tight container and accessed with a clean dry spoon. This is one of the most favorite prasadam in temples. It’s good to have Thakkali Thokku/Pulikaichal in fridge, and during busy days these two pastes help a lot.

Pulikaichal (Puliyodharai)

Preparation Time : 10 mins | Cooking Time : 30 mins

Recipe Category: Pickle/Side Dish and Entrée

Ingredients:

Cooked Rice – 2 cup

For the pulikaichal:

Tamarind – big lemon size

Powdered Jaggery – 1 tbsp

Turmeric Powder – 1/8 tsp

Asafoetida – a generous pinch

Salt – as needed

Sesame oil – 3 tbsp

Roasted Peanuts – 1/4 cup (approximately) I generally add handful

To temper:

Mustard Seeds – 1/4 tsp

Channa Dal – 1 tbsp

Dried Red chillies – 2

Curry Leaves – few

Spice Powder:

Channa Dal – 1 tbsp

Coriander Seeds – 1 tbsp

Dried Red Chillies – 4 (Adjust according to your spice)

Fenugreek Seeds(Venthyam) – 1/4 tsp

Method:

Dry roast the ingredients under ‘Spice powder’. Allow them to cool and grind it to a fine powder without adding water, and keep aside

Take the cooked rice spread it in a wide bowl, drizzle a tsp of sesame oil, add 1/2 cup of pulikaichal, and mix well without mushing up the rice. Adjust the quantity of pulikaichal and add salt, if required. Allow it to rest atleast for 30 – 45 mins before you serve. Serve with Aviyal/Potato Chips/Appalam/Fry

My Notes:

Always use a wide pan while cooking pulikaichal as they tends to spit spills outside

Sesame oil make it stay good for longer days

Generally for puliyodarai I use normal rice but basmati rice can also be used

Rice tastes better sometime after it has been mixed

Can add 1/2 tsp of sesame seed, 1 tbsp of urad Dal and 1/2 tsp of pepper powder while preparing spice powder. My friend’s mom coos with these ingredients, and it tastes good too. As both my mom and mother in law won’t add these spices, I haven’t added

First day it tastes spicy but over a period of time it tastes less spicy

Adding jaggery is optional but it gives a sweet tangy taste which we like

I have used roasted peanuts so I added them at the end. If you are using unroasted add it after tempering

Whenever I have confusion on what to cook for rice accompaniment, or during busy days, Variety rice is the one which helps me. Easy to cook, and a complete meal. I was thinking of coconut rice, but when I opened the fridge, saw raw mangoes and brinjal. Brinjal rice is my favorite, but whenever I buy Mangoes I always do instant mango pickle. This time, for a change, I tried Mango rice and after tasting it, decided I should do this frequently.

Mango Rice

Preparation Time : 10 mins | Cooking Time : 20 – 25 mins | Serves : 2

Recipe Category: Entree

Ingredients

Cooked Rice – 3 cups

Raw Mango – 1 cup, peeled and grated ( or chopped in a chopper)

Turmeric powder – 1/8 tsp

Salt – as needed

Tempering:

Sesame Oil – 1 tsp

Mustard seeds -1/8 tsp

Bengal gram/channa dal – 1 tsp

Peanuts – 1/4 cup

CashewNuts – 2 tbsp

Red chilli – 3 (According according to your spice)

Asafetida- generous pinch

Peanuts -1/4 cup

Curry leaves – few

Method:

Cook rice and spread it in a wide pan

Add oil to another pan. When oil is hot, add mustard seeds. when it splutters, add bengal gram, peanuts and cashewnuts , red chilli and Asafoetida